Wednesday, 9 August, 2017

‘Resilient’ probably isn’t the first word used to describe a retired greyhound, maybe ‘lazy’, ‘loyal’ or even at a stretch ‘crazy’ can spring to mind but like many things in life, the norm will often be broken.

Charlie joined the tripod squad in April after breaking his front leg for the second time when he was playing in the backyard, after months of recovery and plenty of tender loving care from the Vos family Charlie is now helping others as a Delta Therapy dog.

“The vets tried to fix his front leg, at first with a halo cast and then a normal cast before we made the decision to amputate his leg because of how weak it was,” owner Andrea Vos said.

“He was so resilient throughout the whole process and being a relatively young dog, we were confident that he would be able to mentally and physically handle having only three legs.

And handle it Charlie has. He is now playing just as gracefully with three legs as he did four.

“We had no doubt he would adapt to a happy life on three legs, he loves being around people and would receive a pat from anyone,” Vos said.

Andrea believes that Charlie has all the makings of a Delta Therapy dog because of his love for people and his ability, although a tough ask – to receive pats from absolutely everyone.

The Delta Dog Therapy program is run to provide the joy of animal companionship to those who need it most and it is estimated that these beautiful dogs brighten the lives of more than 20,000 people each week.

Delta Dogs visit health care facilities and schools to spend time and lend an ear to people in need.

“The Delta Dog Therapy Program isn’t just about Charlie it is something that I have been really looking forward to,” Vos said.

Vos and Charlie now have a local nursing home lined up to visit weekly near their home in Geelong.